Twitter now the fastest-growing social network, with almost half a billion people signing up worldwide

LONDON — Twitter is now the fastest-growing social network in the world, with almost half a billion people signing up worldwide. Of all Internet users worldwide, 36 per cent — an estimated 485 million — have a Twitter account. The number of account holders who use the microblogging site at least once a month grew 40 per cent in the second half of last year to 288 million, according to Internet research company Global Web Index (GWI). This figure means Twitter — which has been valued at US$9 billion (S$11 billion) — is growing faster than both Facebook and Google+. In the same period Facebook grew 33.4 per cent to 693.5 million. Google+ grew 27.7 per cent to 343 million active monthly users. For Twitter and its advertisers, this shows that Twitter is doing a good job in driving active engagement with 59 per cent of account holders now active on a monthly basis, up from 50 p...